Doctor Who
'17. Aliens of London / World War Three' A controversial choice to rank this high, but I've always been able to see past the childish and gimmicky aspects that the Slitheen bring with them as a villain. Aliens of London does a great job at setting up the tense atmosphere between The Doctor and Rose's loved ones, alongside the raising threat that the 'crash landing' of the alien ship causes. Being trapped in downing street felt both fun and legitimately threatening for The Doctor, Rose and Harriet, who makes a great entrance as a recurring character from the Russell T. Davies era. '27. Dalek' The first re-introduction to perhaps the most infamous Doctor Who of all time, Dalek perfectly executes a sympathetic portrayal towards The Doctor's greatest foe, only to have that quickly diminish as it butchers every single individual in van Statten's building without showing any emotion. Whilst the background cast for the episode are largely nameless and unlikable, one can't help but sympathise when they're wiped out effortlessly despite naively believing they could survive the carnage. '31. Father's Day' The Reapers are no doubt a strange and unmemorable monster, but I find they fit fine taking a backseat in what is generally an emotional Rose-heavy episode, exploring in great depth the pain she's experienced from losing her father at a young age. The conflict between The Doctor and Rose over her actions, combined with the wedding guests trapped within the church leads up nicely to Pete's final heartbreaking decision; sacrificing himself in order to mend the tear in time. '46. The Unquiet Dead' Season One seems to have found its feet by the third episode, and excels with the Victorian ghost story featuring a show stealing Charles Dickens. Unlike the previous two episodes, the Gelth were actually a scary villain, particularly when they take control of the pasty corpses inside Sneed's morgue. Gwyneth's interactions with Rose in the pantry are also incredibly eerie, especially in her strange "Big Bad Wolf" foresight. '51. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances' In my opinion this two-part story is one of the most overrated Doctor Who stories since the 2005 revival. The gas-mask zombies are undeniably creepy, but they never truly struck me as being as horrifying as people made out. The introduction of Captain Jack Harkness is easily the most positive aspect of this story for me, as well as the eerie 'death' of Doctor Constantine. However, The Doctor Dances feels somewhat flat and slow paced, and is part of the reason I've never fully invested into the story. '56. Rose' It's always difficult ranking the episode that brought the show back after years off British screens. The plot isn't the most exciting, and the flow hasn't quite been perfected, yet Rose remains a strong opener for modern Doctor Who and a brilliant introduction of The Doctor and Rose's relationship. '57. The End of the World' Not the most exciting episode (and one that's overuse of CGI and costumes have left it looking dated over time), yet The End of the World acts as a useful story to ease Rose into the time-travelling lifestyle. The twist is neither overly shocking nor completely obvious, and generally takes a backseat to the continuation of The Doctor and Rose's growing dynamic. '71. The Long Game' Even a guest starring Simon Pegg as villain "The Editor" cannot rescue this episode from being the weakest in Season One. The plot isn't hugely interesting, particularly the on-show information absorbing brain chips. There is some fear around Floor 500, especially when Suki is 'promoted' to her eventual death. But, the big reveal that the Jagrafess (essentially a giant ceiling blob) is the overseer of the human race falls flat, and thwarting his control seems to come far too easily. The episode also notes the departure of the annoyingly selfish Adam, who The Doctor discards in a cold but satisfying fashion.